Monsoon Books – Publisher of books on Asia

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CIGARETTE GIRL by Ratih Kumala

£8.99

Escape 2021 by David McMillan

ESCAPE by David McMillan

£9.99

Dragon Penang Chronicles Vol. 1 by Rose Gan

DRAGON (PENANG CHRONICLES, VOL. 1) by Rose Gan

£9.99

You Might Want to Marry My Husband by Yap Swi Neo

YOU MIGHT WANT TO MARRY MY HUSBAND by Yap Swi Neo

£9.99

Operation Red Tidings by JP Cross

OPERATION RED TIDINGS by JP Cross

£9.99

Samarang Hotel by John Webb

SAMARANG HOTEL by John Webb

£8.99

RAINY DAY RAMEN and the COSMIC PACHINKO by Gordon Vanstone

RAINY DAY RAMEN AND THE COSMIC PACHINKO by Gordon Vanstone

£8.99

Death of a Coast Watcher by Anthony English

DEATH OF A COAST WATCHER by Anthony English

£8.99

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Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction

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Biography & Memoir

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True Crime

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“You Might Want To Marry My Husband” by Yap Sw

“You Might Want To Marry My Husband” by Yap Swi Neo. In bookstores from 1 November 2021.

In this intimate collection of autobiographical stories that every woman should read, Swi offers tales of deep reflection that relate to the tears and laughter, and the love and pain felt by girls and women in Malaysia and Singapore over the last 75 years.

Swi recalls the convent sisters in Malacca who educated her and her classmates about sex, the camaraderie among girlfriends, and desires fulfilled. She explores issues of life and death and shares memories of the unforgettable men in her life. Swi holds in high regard the mothers under banana leaf umbrellas who dreamed great dreams for their children, and she introduces us to memorable characters inclduing ‘bling, bling, the real thing, Pansy’, a lecherous Baba patriarch and his complaining wife, a Jonker Street cake shop baker whose strong arms are made to hug, a Singaporean academic with low EQ, and a nameless Malaysian bondmaid who must secure her place in a wealthy household. These are stories from the heart.
#monsoonbooks

Posted @withregram • @bukuruby (Review) Sold for

Posted @withregram • @bukuruby (Review) Sold for Silver by Janet Lim. I enjoyed reading this so much, which was a surprise considering it is a non-fiction World War II narrative. It is a straightforward memoir, no overdramatic monologues and a good documentation of the war from the perspective of a nurse. My rating is 4/5.
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What is special and important about the author’s narrative is that she was lived in 3 countries - born in China, sold in Singapore and captured in Indonesia during the Japanese occupation. Her childhood was tragic with familial separation - I know not if she ever got reunited with her biological family. In Singapore, she was sold as a household slave and abused. Thankfully, white missionary ladies found her and placed her in a convent school, providing her with a solid education. She then became a nurse as she got older. WWII happened and she experienced bombing, imprisonment and worst, rape attempts by the soldiers. However, she survived them all and remembered mostly the kindness of those who helped her. After the war ended, she became the first Asian matron at a renowned Singaporean hospital.
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The book itself was written in 1958, a long time ago. It took me a day reading her fascinating story. One can sense Janet Lim’s spirit and strong sense of survival. The occupiers broke her a few times but she never gave up, doing her best. Despite being a prisoner under the Japanese control, she wanted to work and be useful to other people. Malayans and Sumatrans of different races helped each other, sacrificing their own safety to save lives. She did not generalise races with stereotypes. For her, there were good people and bad people in any race. She met good and bad Malays, Chinese and even Japanese. What was important to her is that there was kindness everywhere in times of crisis. Inspiring, I tell you.
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Thank you, @monsoonbooks for publishing this wonderful memoir. I bought my secondhand copy from @bookgila.my . How I wish more Southeast Asians discover and read this important historical text!

Posted @withregram • @trishabisen 🏳️‍🌈

Posted @withregram • @trishabisen 🏳️‍🌈 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🏳️‍🌈

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝐓𝐖: Rape, Homophobia, Substance Abuse, Prostitution, Homelessness, Hate Crimes, Pills and Death.

A highly entertaining, fast-paced and insightful tragicomedy that'll take you by surprise!

To be honest, I didn't pick this up with high expectations knowing that the story was based on the LGBT+ community in an Islamic country where being queer is a sin and condemned, but boy was I put wrong. This book was such a fresh breather! Not only does it explores sexuality from the perspective of teenage boys, but it deep dives into their friendship and the responsibilities that come with calling someone a friend.

What makes the tale exceptionally delicious is its setting; the story takes place alternatively in an Islamic boarding school and a gay nightclub, a deliberate odd combination that made me gag - almost! But the smoothness with which the author transitions between the setting is praiseworthy. I loved the account of the gay nightclub with all its talk of the lip-syncing drag queens, cross-dressing hairdressers, and unapologetic gays and lesbians. The writing is atmospheric; I could smell the flowing alcohol, hear the deafeningly loud music and feel myself swaying to it.

I fell in love with Paris who wanted to be a woman, Yusuf who was happy being gay despite having lived in the pesantren for the whole of his life, Oscar who was straight and masculine but accepted his friends for who they were, and gradually I fell in love with Ricky, a cisgender male who was still figuring out his sexuality and fighting against the societal norms inside his chaotic mind.

The only drawback that I saw was the climax - the story ends on an abrupt note without any buildup. Only if the ending was as seamless as the rest of the book, I would've rated this a perfect 5 stars.

Highly recommend this to everyone. Many thanks to @monsoonbooks & Pansing (@definitelybooks) for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Available in all leading bookstores across Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the UK.

Posted @withregram • @sugarspicewhatevernice If

Posted @withregram • @sugarspicewhatevernice If you grew up watching & loving Winter Sonata & Autumn In My Heart, YOU GOTTA PICK THIS BOOK UP!!

Thanikarn, wanted to be a lawyer growing up but her father’s death became a turning point in her life. With only high sch edu, she got a job as masseuse. There, she met Lucas, a French boy visiting Koh Samui with his family. They grew closer, rode around the island, mesmerised by the beauty & culture & ofc, fell in love.. 2 weeks of holiday ended and Lucas is now back in Paris, while Karn found out she’s pregnant. The story then followed Karn’s life as a single mother & Lucas wanting to pursue his musics.. with hope that they’ll eventually meet each other again….

This story sets in 90s (I assume from the yuppies & Friends TV show) where internet is not as ubiquitous as it is now. What even owning a smartphone/ social media!

So can you imagine the longing?? Heart wrenching?? The person you love is at another side of the 🌎 and it’s not like you can contact them everyday

It’s a slow moving plot, the beginning are all cutesy, followed by rising plot that’s nothing major except their life progress and boom! The climax and ending are just 😲🤭😩😭 I immediately gave it a 5🌟

The pacing is fast though it’s a 5-year-life-journey. Author succeeded in writing beautifully flawed characters which is very humanly, grasp cultures of both Asian & Western. In fact, I initially thought that she’s Thai! The way she portrayed Karn is as how we know “gadis kampung” to be. And I love all the references she used, even learned few Thai phrases! Also some Thai yummy delicacies 😋

I won’t give you any spoiler, but this is a book you would want to tell your Asian mother, grandma, aunties about it. Simply because they’ll connect with the story more. I just poured all 52-episodes sinetron to our bibik😌Dia pulak emosi pastu hahahaha

Oh yea, there’s no evil character here, only life can be cruel, sometimes 😌

Big thanks to Phil @monsoonbooks for sending me a copy of this book. You can buy it from their website or from our local major bookstores

#atseawithasong #sarawakreadsreview

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